The Entrance & Scholarship Assessment day for the Year 7 intake for September takes place in January.  In 2024, the date is Saturday 27th January. We would like to help you to prepare for the process by providing some advice and information. Sitting assessments can be stressful at any age and at Gateways we want to make the process as positive an experience as possible for children.

What to discuss with your child beforehand

To ensure that your child is well prepared, as well as doing revision, there are a number of key points to discuss with your child including the reasons behind taking entrance assessments.

All independent schools hold entrance exams but at Gateways, this is not a pass/fail outcome. We take school reports and references into account to help decide if Gateways is the right school for your child. Gateways is not an academically selective school; the assessments are to provide us with more information regarding a child’s strengths and weaknesses.

Adaptive online testing helps to reduce the pressure

It is natural to feel under pressure when sitting assessments, but testing is a key part of the academic process. To help make the process as kind as possible, our adaptive online testing package takes children through questions at the right pace and adapting difficulty as required, so only those doing well will be given more difficult questions to answer.

Entrance Assessment FAQs

1. What will be tested?

At Gateways, we test English, Maths, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning via the online package. We also share the information with parents, to help build an understanding of the child’s learning profile.

2. Are there any scholarships available at Gateways?

There are three types of scholarship available to talented children – Academic, Sport and Arts awards. A small percentage of fee remission may be available for those children who match the criteria and are successful in the relevant assessments.

3. When do we find out if we have been offered a place?

We will write to you as soon as the assessments have been marked and the offer decisions have been made. Places at Gateways are limited and we operate on a first-response basis to guarantee your place, so please do not hesitate to return the acceptance form if you would like the opportunity to join Gateways. As it is standard for pupils to apply for multiple schools, each school provides more offers than places to accommodate that.

How to register for the Gateways Entrance and Scholarship Assessment Day

We advise you to attend our Open Day in October or arrange a visit during the Autumn Term (if you are unable to attend the Open Day).

Once you have visited the school and met the relevant members of staff you should register here and ensure that you pay the £75 registration fee (covers admin, lunch and invigilation costs).  Please follow the admission process as outlined on our admissions pages.

Places at the Entrance & Scholarship Assessment day are limited and the final date for registrations for entry to Year 7 in September 2024 is Wednesday 13th December 2023.

If you have any further questions, please contact Admissions on 0113 288 6345.